Before you jump out of your seat, understand that this is nothing
more than a tiny step forward for Staal.
Just because he was symptom free while sitting on his couch in the
comfort of his home doesn’t mean Staal will feel as well when he starts exerting himself physically.

After all, Staal was participating in some training camp
drills in late September before succumbing to concussion-like symptoms again
and being shut down by doctors in mid-October.

Everyone is hopeful that Staal is past that, but he could begin
having headaches again at any point and be set back even further.

At this point everyone involved with Staal’s situation is
being extremely careful. We’re fast
approaching a year since the hit by Eric Staal that actually injured Marc in
the first place and he’s still far from healthy.

Concussions are being taken very seriously these days and
Staal’s long-term absence isn’t unique.
Everyone knows that Sidney Crosby is finally nearing a return, but
forward David Perron still hasn’t returned to St. Louis’s lineup after
suffering a concussion last fall and Toronto center Matthew Lombardi missed
almost the entirety of last season with a head injury of his own.

The Rangers would love to have Marc Staal back in their
lineup, but this is a classic case of protecting a player’s long-term health
over any short-term gain.

New York has nearly $12 million invested in Staal over the
next three years, so if there’s even a little doubt that Staal isn’t 100%, then
he’ll be held out of the lineup.

If Staal’s light workouts go well, then the team will take
it from there. But it’s still no
certainty that we’ll see Staal again this year.